U.S. consumer confidence trends are steady in October, with inflation expectations remaining high.

On October 10, Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan Consumer Survey, stated that consumer confidence in the U.S. remained flat in October. The Consumer Confidence Index recorded 55 points, roughly unchanged from September. This month, consumers' views on their current personal financial situation and the business environment for the coming year improved; however, expectations for future personal finances and assessments of current buying conditions for durable goods declined, offsetting each other. Overall, consumers believe that the economic outlook has not changed significantly from last month. High prices and weak job prospects, the "Wallet Issues," remain the top concerns for consumers. Currently, consumers do not expect these factors to show significant improvement. Meanwhile, the interviews indicate that so far there is little evidence that the ongoing federal government shutdown has changed consumers' views on the economy. Additionally, inflation expectations for the coming year fell from 4.7% last month to 4.6% this month, but remain high. Long-term inflation expectations stabilized at 3.7%. (Jin10 )